Real judgements, distilled
Court judgements broken down into the case type, how the decision played out, and the lesson worth remembering, with the full judgement available as a PDF.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1094
An older qualification must still satisfy the eligibility rules governing the appointment sought. Here, the certificate's early date did not secure reinstatement, and rejection of eligibility should not be confused with a conclusive finding that the certificate was forged.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1095
A party benefiting from a conditional stay must meet its deposit requirement or face enforcement. The additional ₹15 crore deposit secures the pending dispute; it does not settle the land's final compensation or amount to an immediate payment to the landowners.
Criminal Appeal · 2026 INSC 1093
An alleged attempt to kill does not become a lesser offence simply because the victim avoided a fatal injury. Restoring this charge means the accusation must be tried; it does not establish that the accused is guilty.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1090
For the assessment in this case, assistance reducing ordinary manufacturing costs was taxable even though the government wanted to encourage industry. The purpose and actual operation of the particular subsidy mattered more than its general development label.
Criminal Appeal · 2026 INSC 1091
Proof that someone caused a serious injury does not by itself prove the additional ingredients of robbery. A court can substitute a lesser offence supported by the evidence; the sentencing reduction here depended on Appa's particular circumstances.
Special Leave Petition (Civil) · 2026 INSC 1092
Someone challenging an election must ensure that the personal-presentation requirement is met and can be proved. Merely entering the court building does not establish compliance, and a filing defect can end the challenge before the election allegations are examined.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1088
An employee who retires on 30 June may be entitled to the increment that falls due on 1 July after completing a year of service. Authorities that delay paying the amounts due must pay interest after the deadline set by the court.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1089
Recruitment must follow the qualifications stated in the advertisement and the governing Recruitment Rules. A court will not override a merit-based eligibility decision made under those rules merely because the candidate concerned was higher in the written test.
Writ Petition (Criminal) · 2026:DHC:8797
A person who occupied property only because of employment has no independent right to remain once the employment and decree end. Even when a petition fails, courts can make practical arrangements to let a person recover personal belongings.
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Log in to see moreSanjay Kumar was tried along with his mother and two sisters for allegedly harassing his wife over dowry, leading to her death by poisoning within about a year and a half of their marriage. The Sessions Court acquitted all the accused in 2010, finding the prosecution evidence to be vague, hearsay, and unsupported by any injury on the victim's body. The Himachal Pradesh High Court, on the State's appeal, reversed only Sanjay Kumar's acquittal and convicted him under Sections 498-A and 306 IPC, sentencing him to four years' rigorous imprisonment. He challenged that conviction before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court had erred in overturning the acquittal without first finding that the trial court's view was perverse or impossible on the evidence: the settled threshold for an appellate court reversing an acquittal. On reviewing the witnesses' testimony, the Court found the allegations of torture and dowry demand were vague and general, with several witnesses admitting in cross-examination that the couple appeared happy together and that no prior complaint had ever been made to any authority. Evidence also showed the appellant had rushed his wife for medical treatment and arranged an ambulance immediately after she fell ill, which was inconsistent with an intention to abet her suicide. Since Section 306 IPC requires proof of specific abetment under Section 107 IPC, and no such evidence existed, the Court restored the trial court's acquittal and set aside the High Court's judgment.
An appellate court cannot reverse an acquittal merely by re-appreciating evidence differently. It must specifically find the trial court's view perverse or unsupportable; and a conviction for abetment of suicide requires clear proof of active instigation, not just evidence of marital discord.
